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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28412700">thunderstorm boy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrywren/pseuds/strawberrywren'>strawberrywren</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Love Triangles, M/M, Rivalry, Training</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:40:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,967</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28412700</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrywren/pseuds/strawberrywren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"It was one thing to be needed- it was another to be wanted."</p><p>After sacrificing his position on Karasuno's starting lineup to the prodigious Kageyama Tobio, Sugawara Koushi knew he would have to take all the help he could get in order to continue fighting for the volleyball team he loved, even if it came from behind enemy lines in the form of Oikawa Tooru. When a series of late-night practices and post-game run-ins give the two setters more than they bargained for, they must find a way to balance their old ties to their rival teams and the strange new feelings between the two of them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey there, I'm Wren, and thank you so much for reading this work! </p><p>I've been writing for as long as I can remember, and I love Haikyuu, but this is my first time writing any kind of fanfiction. It's definately a bit daunting, but I'm having a lot of fun with this story, and I hope you all like it! Any views and input this story gets means the world, and I can't wait to meet this new side of the fanbase. I know this fic is centered around a rather uncommon pairing, but I wanted to try new things, y'know? These characters mean a lot to me, so I'm hoping that I've done them justice here.</p><p>Anyways, I hope you have a good time reading this, and have a great day!<br/>Take care of yourselves, homies.<br/>xoxo -strawberrywren</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>So that's Seijoh's captain.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>At the side of the court, Koushi Sugawara's knuckles turned white around the edge of the bench as he watched Tooru Oikawa shoot the volleyball to the other side of the court without mercy, earning his team another point. He knew it was a practice game his team was holding here against Aoba Johsai- not the first, far from the last- and still, his heart raced far more on the sidelines than it did in the minutes he had spent on the court that match. </p><p>Barely grazing past Nishinoya, Karasuno's libero, the ball crashed into the varnished gym floor, and the match was over. It had been by one point, by one set, but Seijoh had won. </p><p>For a moment, as a referee's whistle sounded, Oikawa's eyes- sharp, steady, and deep brown- met Sugawara's, and he felt a funny kind of ache in his chest. In spite of the constant frustration this opposing setter had caused Karasuno, Suga had never been able to bring himself to hate Oikawa, not the way his teammates seemed to, not when every one of Oikawa's moves on the court had pushed Karasuno to become an infinitely better team than they once were. Not to say that he <em>liked</em> Oikawa, he was still insufferable, from what he'd seen.</p><p>But Suga respected Oikawa, for his skill and his impact on Karasuno, and, in spite of himself, he envied Oikawa, for the way he could walk into each game knowing his ability to play the sport he loved would never be taken from him without warning.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi, one of the team's bright-eyed first-years, stared out at the court, his body stiff, and Sugawara nudged his shoulder. Sugawara offered him a smile.</p><p>"Hey, don't stress yourself out," Suga reassured him, running a hand through his gray hair. "We've won before, and we'll win again. Just keep practicing until the next game, okay?" Yamaguchi frowned, and Sugawara laughed under his breath. "You're doing great."</p><p>Slowly, reluctantly, Yamaguchi broke out into a smile before running off to meet up with the rest of the team. Suga exhaled, and the moment the world had seemed to quiet down, he felt a familiar hand resting on his shoulder. When Suga looked up, Daichi stood at his side.</p><p> </p><p>Daichi, who had worked and fought, laughed and cried, fallen and risen up again next to Suga on the court for three years now. Daichi, who had grown into the broad-shouldered, levelheaded, and self-assured captain of Karasuno in those years while watching Suga become the backbone and heart of the team as a setter and vice captain. Daichi, who knew that Suga had not given up his spot in Karasuno's starting lineup willingly, knew he was pushing himself without getting the results he ached for, and cared about him <em>anyway</em>.</p><p> </p><p>"Looking out for the kids again, huh?" Daichi started, chuckling, and Suga shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>"I guess so. They need to hear it sometimes, after games like this." </p><p> </p><p>Daichi glanced over at the crowd of their teammates. "I don't think they realize it, but we're in a much better spot for qualifiers than anyone thought we'd be. They don't know it, but we're kind of great right now." Suga nodded, smiling even as he watched the members of their starting lineup stretching and arguing over what plays and skills to try out next. Daichi's expression softened. "<em>You're</em> great, Suga. Come on, we have to line up."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The doors swung open, and the harsh fluorescent light and hot, dense air of Aoba Johsai's gym gave way to what had to be at least the tenth storm that summer, the sky a heavy steel-gray, the wind cold and relentless as sheets of rain fell on both teams.</p><p>Naturally, none of this stopped the boys from Karasuno from chattering amongst themselves as always, making their way to the buses home and pushing past clusters of teal-and-white jacketed Seijoh players. Making his way to the rest of his teammates, Suga waved as Kageyama, the team's lanky, dark-haired starting setter, jogged to his side. </p><p>"I know why we have practice games," Kageyama started, "we need all kinds of experience in order to get better at volleyball, obviously." He leaned closer to Suga, his brow furrowed. "But Suga, does it have to be with <em>them?</em>  You know, with <em>him?"</em></p><p>Suga cocked his head, equal parts amused and concerned as Kageyama began ranting about just how awful Oikawa was under his breath. "Oikawa's <em>that</em> insufferable on the court, huh?"</p><p>"Yes. Always." </p><p>Suga offered a smile, and placed a hand on Kageyama's shoulder. "Look, the way I see it, we've gotten so much better from playing with Seijoh this many times already. With everything you do for us as a setter, I think we can get him to calm down by beating him next time, okay?" </p><p>Kageyama nodded, smiling back at Suga, though Suga could still see anger flickering in his eyes. In spite of himself, despite knowing that the need to overcome Oikawa could eat Kageyama alive, Suga still envied the frustration that he knew was searing through Kageyama, envied the fact that he had risked enough on the court to feel that strongly about the person he faced on the other side of the net. Still, Suga gave a low laugh, and nudged his teammate's arm.</p><p>"Seriously, though. If he's being really awful, you could bring it up to the coaches..."</p><p>"I'm not doing that. I'm beating him."</p><p>"That's what I like to hear! Look, I know you and Hinat-"</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Suga!" Daichi called from across the parking lot, and Suga gave Kageyama a quick wave goodbye before running over to Daichi. Suga noticed that the rain seemed to stop around them, and glanced up to realize that his friend had produced an umbrella.</p><p>Daichi grinned. "Kiyoko had an extra, you looked like you needed it." He cleared his throat, glancing down at the asphalt before continuing. "Getting back to business, the newspaper club is writing an article on our season so far, so they asked if they could hold an interview on Monday. Look, Suga, you're much better than me at the whole public speaking thing, I need the help." His expression softened. "I need you, okay?"</p><p>Suga nodded. "Yeah, of course I'll help!" </p><p>From across the lot, Kageyama was ranting much louder than he had been before, and Daichi tried to stifle a laugh, holding his head in his hand. Suga sighed.</p><p>"Daichi, I'm gonna go make sure Kageyama hasn't killed somebody yet. I'll meet you on the bus."</p><hr/><p>Suga had always found moments like this oddly comforting, the minutes after a game. No matter the outcome of the match itself, the familiar heat of asphalt beneath him and the steady buzz of teammates and strangers' conversations around him felt like home, and for a moment, it was enough to ease the fears that clawed at the back of his mind- the fear that, regardless of what Daichi said, he wasn't needed, that he wasn't enough for the team he loved, not when someone like Kageyama stood beside him. Not that it mattered, when his spot on the side of the court did the best for his team, when there was more Kageyama could do.</p><p>
  <em>Not that he mattered.</em>
</p><p>When he reached the last spot he had met Kageyama at, Suga took a slow breath, and gave another smile.</p><p>"Sorry, Kageyama, what was I saying before?"</p><p> </p><p>The lot was silent. An unfamiliar voice sighed behind Suga, and a muscular arm brushed against his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>"You know I'm not Kageyama, right?"</p><p>Suga turned around, and froze. That, in fact, was not Kageyama. Definitely not Kageyama. </p><p>Oikawa stood in front of Suga, and he <em>smiled.</em> For a moment, the rain seemed to fall softer on Suga's shoulders, and his chest ached like one of his teammates decided to spike a ball straight into his ribs. He wanted to hate Oikawa. He wanted to, for the way he never stopped harassing Karasuno on the court, for the way he gave Kageyama so much trouble for simply existing within a ten-foot radius of him, but as Oikawa stood there with his head tilted, a ghost of that stupid, <em>stupid</em> smile crossing his face, Suga knew he couldn't. He didn't know why, he didn't want to, but either way he couldn't.</p><p>Suga looked up at Oikawa, keeping a straight face. "Should I go? I know you get off on annoying me and my teammates, but I'm gonna have to get back to them eventually."</p><p>Oikawa's eyes widened, before he threw his head back, laughing. "I didn't think you were going to be this snarky, impressive! You seemed much nicer when you were on the court, and now you're giving Tobio a real run for his money. Who are you?"</p><p>Suga had never wanted to smack the shit out of someone so badly before. "Koushi Sugawara," he answered. "It's nice to meet you without a net in the way, I guess." Another one of those insufferable, dazzling smiles began to spread across Oikawa's face.</p><p>"And I-"</p><p>"I know." Suga cut him off. "Everyone knows; you don't have to tell me."</p><p>Oikawa rolled his eyes. "You're no fun, Sugawara." </p><p>Suga smirked. "I guess so. We can't all be as cool as the Great King, you know?" </p><p>"I-" Oikawa's face flushed. "Sugawara, I want to do something nice, and you're making it a nightmare." Oikawa's voice cracked as he spoke, and Suga froze again when he realized Oikawa was being serious. Oikawa huffed, sitting down on a nearby curb beneath the gym's roof, and Suga followed. The patch of ground they had moved to was even farther away from their teammates- almost silent, save for the rain- and even more confusion showed on Suga's face as the air of cockiness seemed to fade off of Oikawa and into the storm around them. </p><p>"Sugawara, we should start practicing together. It's good for the both of us."</p><p>At this point, Suga was tired of arguing with him. "And why's that?"</p><p>"I really want to learn from other teams, not just my own, and not just from watching them," Oikawa said, turning to Suga. "And there's so much for you to learn from working with me one-on-one. It's great for the both of us!" </p><p>Suga scoffed. "Are you saying you think I'm bad at volleyball, and you feel bad for me?"</p><p>"No! No, you are so dumb sometimes, Sugawara, I-" Oikawa stammered, before looking down and composing himself. "I know your team's been changing. I want to learn more about it. But I want you to learn about my team, too, because I'm gonna be sick if I have to play Tobio again. And don't you want to play more volleyball? I'm gonna help with that. I want to." </p><p>The last words echoed in Suga's mind as Oikawa stared out at the rain. He wanted to play volleyball, he did every second, and this boy- this arrogant, relentless, stupid boy- wanted that, too. Oikawa wanted that enough to risk his team's loyalty for that.</p><p>It was one thing to be needed- to be kept around on a bench without a thought to keep the world from falling apart, to only be brought out in desperation, not because you were seen as good, but because you prevented something bad.</p><p> </p><p>It was another thing to be wanted. Suga nodded, a small smile crossing his face, and Oikawa scribbled a phone number onto a scrap of paper, pressing it into Suga's palm before he left without a word. Suga stood up, alone, and watched the mass of black-and-orange uniforms crowding around his school's bus from across the lot.</p><p> </p><p>If an injury or a freak accident didn't do it, these setters were going to be the death of him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi there! Again, thank you so much for reading, and sorry I haven't been updating more- I'm trying to make this story the best it can be! :D -wren</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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